Page 27 of All the Right Words
‘Yeah, yeah, whatever. Now get back out there before Harper thinks you’ve fallen into a chemical toilet.’
Sixteen
Harper was just starting to think that Olivia had fallen into the toilet when she suddenly sprang forth from the cubicle, smiling. ‘Hi, ready for another ride?’ It was a slightly different vibe than Olivia had gone in with, so it took a second to adjust. ‘Oh. Yeah, sure. Your turn to pick this time. What’s your cup of tea?’
Olivia thought for a second and said, ‘I’ve got a confession to make. I’ve never actually been to a funfair before.’
Harper laughed. ‘Seriously?’
‘Yep. My parents are a bit serious; we didn’t do this sort of thing. So I’m a virgin. So to speak. Maybe you could take the lead?’
Harper nodded. ‘No problem. I know just the ride. No height at all.’
‘That sounds great,’ Olivia smiled.
***
Olivia looked ready to vomit. ‘YOU OK?’ Harper yelled as the waltzers went around.
Olivia lifted a shaky thumb. ‘Yeah, sorry. I just didn’t… The g-force is a bit… I’m having fun.’
The guy came over to spin them, and Harper shook her head at him. He shrugged and moved on. ‘God, thank you,’ Olivia said with her eyes closed.
Harper smiled. ‘I’m feeling a bit dizzy anyway. Maybe after this, we could go somewhere else?’ Olivia had stuck it out long enough. It wasn’t for her, and Harper didn’t mind that. She’d tried.
***
They were sitting at a café just outside the fairground in a round booth. It was a casual place with paper napkins and wait staff in jeans. Harper liked it better than the flashy Italian they’d gone to before. She’d been terrified to make some kind of cutlery mistake. Here was easy.
‘So, you’ve got three brothers, do I remember that right?’ Harper asked, dredging up the one detail she had from their first date. ‘I’m interested to hear about them.’ It was something of a test question because the last time she’d asked about them, it had been a dead end. And how could there be nothing to say about having three brothers?
‘Umm, they’re fine, I guess,’ Olivia said. Harper thought it was going the same as before. But after a quiet moment, Olivia said, ‘I mean, it’s notgreat.’
‘How come?’ Olivia asked.
‘Because they all trod my parent’s path. They’re doctors.’
‘Ah.’
‘Needless to say, I’m the dunce of the family,’ Olivia said, trying to play it off like a light comment.
‘I don’t believe that for a second,’ Harper told her. ‘If there’s one thing I could say about you, it’s that you're sharp.’
Olivia took a thoughtful pause, chewing the inside of her lip. ‘That’s nice of you to say. But that’s just how it is when I go home. It’s hard to compete with a neurosurgeon, an oncologist and a cardiologist.’
‘The world needs those things. But it needs books too,’ Harper said.
‘But sometimes, I guess… I guess I feel like anyone could do what I do. Find books people want to read.’
‘Have you forgotten what I do?’ Harper asked teasingly.
Olivia rolled her eyes. ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean…’
‘No, no, I’m not… Look, what I’m saying is, I know something about finding talent. It’s an underrated skill. My mother had it. She would know a hit author when she read one.’
‘As do you.’
Harper gave a dismissive wave. ‘I’m not on her level, but anyway, my point is, I’ve been hearing lately that Michael didn’t build that company alone, as I think we all believed. A lot of people are saying you werealwaysworking behind the scenes. 'The power behind the throne' was an expression I heard used the other day.’
